The behavior of complex dependable systems poses severe safety issues due to hazards which may result from incorrect and unpredictable behavior. In order to prevent such hazards, system behavior has to be specified and checked incrementally, in order to defeat the overall system’s complexity. Modularity in system design is however not trivial due to the intrinsic monolithic nature of the control loop, typical of such systems. An additional problem is given by the fact that the current modeling paradigm tends at introducing additional interactive complexity due to the direct communication and synchronization mechanism among decomposed modules. It can be shown, however, that modular decomposition is feasible by revising the current communication and interaction paradigm. Physical interactions in physical systems denote in fact less evident conceptual structures, which host the overall interaction and synchronization knowledge among the component parts. By introducing additional system entities with the aim of hosting such knowledge in a localized and compact manner, we obtain a part-whole hierarchy of systems, called holarchy. Such systems are, at the same time, both parts and wholes within a holarchy, thus giving a formal characterization to Koestler’s holons.

Controlling hazards and safety in complex systems: a multi-layered part-whole approach to system safety / Pazzi, Luca. - In: BUSINESS SYSTEMS REVIEW. - ISSN 2280-3866. - ELETTRONICO. - Vol 1. Issue 1:(2012), pp. 248-262. [10.7350/BSR.A17.2012]

Controlling hazards and safety in complex systems: a multi-layered part-whole approach to system safety

PAZZI, Luca
2012

Abstract

The behavior of complex dependable systems poses severe safety issues due to hazards which may result from incorrect and unpredictable behavior. In order to prevent such hazards, system behavior has to be specified and checked incrementally, in order to defeat the overall system’s complexity. Modularity in system design is however not trivial due to the intrinsic monolithic nature of the control loop, typical of such systems. An additional problem is given by the fact that the current modeling paradigm tends at introducing additional interactive complexity due to the direct communication and synchronization mechanism among decomposed modules. It can be shown, however, that modular decomposition is feasible by revising the current communication and interaction paradigm. Physical interactions in physical systems denote in fact less evident conceptual structures, which host the overall interaction and synchronization knowledge among the component parts. By introducing additional system entities with the aim of hosting such knowledge in a localized and compact manner, we obtain a part-whole hierarchy of systems, called holarchy. Such systems are, at the same time, both parts and wholes within a holarchy, thus giving a formal characterization to Koestler’s holons.
2012
Vol 1. Issue 1
248
262
Controlling hazards and safety in complex systems: a multi-layered part-whole approach to system safety / Pazzi, Luca. - In: BUSINESS SYSTEMS REVIEW. - ISSN 2280-3866. - ELETTRONICO. - Vol 1. Issue 1:(2012), pp. 248-262. [10.7350/BSR.A17.2012]
Pazzi, Luca
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
BSR.Vol.1-Iss.1-Pazzi.System.Safety.PDF

Open access

Tipologia: Versione pubblicata dall'editore
Dimensione 831.73 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
831.73 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/861523
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact